About Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Tom and Sally Jordan, Francophile Denver entrepreneurs who dreamed of being vintners from the day they married in 1959, had their epiphany at Ernie's Restaurant in San Francisco in 1972, when a clever sommelier with a money-back guarantee talked Bordeaux-loyal Tom into a California Cabernet: André Tchelistcheff's Beaulieu Georges de Latour. They bought Alexander Valley land that same year, signing the deed on May 25, 1972, the very day their son John was born, then acquired 1,300 acres and hired Tchelistcheff himself as consulting enologist in 1974. The Russian legend selected the tanks, presses, and barrels, and hand-picked a 22-year-old UC Davis graduate named Rob Davis to make the inaugural 1976 Cabernet; Davis would stay 43 harvests, the longest winemaker tenure in Sonoma County, before handing off to protégée Maggie Kruse in 2019.
The chateau, completed in 1976 with kitchen, dining room, and cellar under one roof, was practically unheard of in a Sonoma County where wine tourism didn't yet exist, and the Jordans hired French chef Henri Charvet before most wineries had ever considered a culinary program. The Bordeaux first-growth philosophy runs deep: one estate Cabernet, no reserve bottling, with lesser lots sold off rather than bottled, plus a Russian River Chardonnay, all at deliberately moderate alcohol built for the table and the cellar. Son John Jordan, a former Navy intelligence commander and attorney, took the reins in 2005 and has re-energized the estate, where roughly 120 of 1,200 acres are under vine and over three quarters of the land is preserved as natural habitat, earning honors like Pollinator Partnership's Monarch Sustainer of the Year.
Tom and Sally Jordan's 1972 Alexander Valley chateau, built with André Tchelistcheff's guidance on a one-wine Bordeaux philosophy, run today by their son John.
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A deed signed on a birthday,the Jordans signed for their Alexander Valley land on May 25, 1972, the same day their son and future CEO John was born.
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Tchelistcheff's blueprint,the legendary André Tchelistcheff, whose Beaulieu Cabernet inspired the whole venture, designed the winery's program and picked 22-year-old Rob Davis as winemaker.
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A 43-harvest winemaker,Rob Davis made every vintage from 1976 to 2019, Sonoma County's longest tenure, before handing off to protégée Maggie Kruse.
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No reserve, ever,in strict first-growth fashion Jordan bottles one estate Cabernet, selling off lesser lots rather than making a second label.
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A chateau ahead of its time,kitchen, dining room, and cellar under one roof in 1976, with a French chef hired before Sonoma wine tourism existed.
"Tom and Sally Jordan's 1972 Alexander Valley chateau, built with André Tchelistcheff's guidance on a one-wine Bordeaux philosophy, run today by their son John."
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Featured Wines
Current Releases
Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from Jordan Vineyard & Winery, please check the winery's official website or contact the tasting room directly. Alexander Valley producers typically rotate vintages and offerings seasonally.
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Chateau Estate Tasting
A guided estate visit beginning with a Champagne toast and proceeding through a food-paired tasting in the magnificent Jordan château, the most Bordelais wine experience available in California.
$50
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Library & Culinary Tasting
An expanded estate experience featuring library vintages of the Jordan Cabernet alongside Executive Chef Todd Knoll's seasonal estate food pairings, the most complete and luxurious Jordan experience.
$100
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